Randolph site will offer 'one-stop shopping' for motor-vehicle services

Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerIn this 2004 file photo, an auto inspector performs a test at the Randolph Auto Inspection Station. Two motor vehicle commission locations will merge into a building next to the Randolph inspection station.

RANDOLPH — The state Motor Vehicle Commission plans to close two of its offices in Morris County later this week.

The MVC offices at 1572 Sussex Turnpike in Randolph and 186 Speedwell Ave. in Morristown are scheduled to close at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The two sites will merge into one new location at 160 Canfield Ave. in Randolph, which will open the following Tuesday and is about one mile from the old Sussex Turnpike location.

The $4.3 million cost of building the new 9,200-square-foot agency on state-owned land in Randolph was earmarked in the Motor Vehicle Security & Customer Service Act of 2003.

The current commission sites in Randolph and Morristown are on leased property, costing the state about $97,000 per year. The buildings proved to be costly and inefficient, said Mike Horan, a commission spokesman.

Though they were not necessarily underutilized, said Raline Smith-Reid, Morristown councilwoman.

“All I know is that (the Morristown office) was a well used building,” Smith-Reid said. “It was always busy there. It was a convenience.”

The new site is being touted for its convenience as well. Horan called it a one-stop shop. Motorists will be able to receive inspections, car licenses, registrations and obtain vehicle titles and other documentation in one location. It is adjacent to an inspection station and driver’s test site.

Horan said the new location is a part of the commission’s effort to improve its public image and offer better service to residents.